Agility to manage complex projects, while adding (social)
complexity
The Agile Paradox PGMopen 2016 Dr. Mr. Ben Berndt MBA-FSI Head of
CPMO NN Group Member of Glocomnet ISCE Research Agility to manage
complex projects, while adding (social) complexity Presentation
storyline
A little disclaimer; its my personal reflection; no science Agile
& self-organization Agility to manage complex projects But what
is complexity (and complicatedness) (get) PM (back) in the ideal
complicated (management) domain (simplification) Management of
complex projects Management of uncertainty Management of social
complexity (paradox) Agile & Self-Organization
Remington and Pollack (2007) referring to fast-track state that
these projects increase the level of complexity exponentially
Fewell, CST, PMP (2015): A true agile practitioner asks simple
questions like: are we all on the same page? Might not be that
simple (BB); since that implicitly refers to perception and world
views, which relates to systems theory and social (perceived
complexity) Nicholson (N Cubed Consulting, 2015): Transforming your
business into an agile one, (it) becomes a complex mix of
methodologies, psychologies, disciplines and negotiations Bloomberg
(Forbes Tech 2015): Agile calls for self-organizing teams, but
there remains no clear understanding of how best to self-organize
Agile & Self-Organization
Agile doesnt mean total freedom, it means self-organization through
some constraints says Henrique Imberti Jr., PMP. When a garden is
not being managed, it will keep growing, but in another direction
than what was intended. We, as project managers, need to be
gardeners and grow our teams as intended. This presentations topic:
But a garden is a map; its not the territory. A garden is already
organized. Gardens belong to the safe management domain. Thats not
were self-organization happens, that emerges in the territory
itself, you -as an agile manager- should be able to contrarily let
go direction, let it flow and interfere with caution; to be able to
handle uncertainty; that in my perception BB- is what agile is
about. Manage complex projects Self-Organization = social complex
What is ComplexityComplicatedness?
Complexity is the study of items which are more than just sum of
their identifiable parts: a dead frog cannot be reassembled. So
complex is not the same as complicated. We people can tackle
complicatedness (via expertise), the complex we cannot really
tackle, nor manage? A Boeing 747 is (highly) complicated. The
weather, rainforests, traffic, social media, and a flog of
seagullsare complex. Manage complex projects Project Complexity;
not much consensus
most writers refer to interrelatedness (many varied interrelated
parts e.g. Baccarini). Others refer to perceived complexity:
complexity is labeled here as subjective: not all perceive the same
problematical situation, nor can an observer perceive the whole
context, nor do all perceive the same context (research by Chroner
& Bergquist, 2012). Components plus interactions plus context
plus interpretations form a complex whole. (ISCE Research, Project
complexity:NTCP Model (Shenhar & Dvir) Relationships Technology
& Novelty & Pacemake it (more) complex Project complexity:
Complexity Mapping (Remington & Pollack)
Structural extreme: "We can't see the forest for the trees", "How
can we keep track of all the interdependencies Technically extreme:
"How do we do or make it", "There is nothing like this out there
Directionally extreme: "How do we share understanding", "No one
seems to be on the same page Temporally extreme: "It is like
standing on quicksand", "Everything keeps shifting Try not to make
it more complex (simplify)
Manage complex projects Complicated domain, ideal PM domain, that
domain is all about management Try not to make it more complex
(simplify) Unknown unknowns. Uncertainty. You need to let go, watch
patterns. Oh this is what it is about (retro). Probe first. Agile
PM... Known unknowns. Multiple answers.Expert domain. Sense: This
could be about. Analyze. Ideal PM landscape? Agile, Waterfall,
Hybrid Crisis. No patterns. Act. See what happens & respond
Best Practice. Sense: This is what it is about. Categorize &
respond.No PM needed? Retrieved from Snowden & Boone, A leaders
framework for decision making. HBR, Nov Manage complex projects
Simplify Complexity reduction
Laws of Simplicity (Meada 2006): Reduce thoughtful. What do we
really need Organize (label, sort etc.). Makes systems of many
appear fewer Time. Shorten the chain (LEAN) Learn. Knowledge makes
things simpler Differences. find inherent simplicity (beautiful
code) Context. What is the meaning of all that beyond focus?
Emotion. Challenge your sensitivity Trust. Omakaze: chefs choice
Failure. Some things wont get simpler The one. Subtract the obvious
and add the meaningful Less is more Openness Move it far, far away
(e.g. SAAS) Retrieved (interpretation of) from Snowden & Boone,
A leaders framework for decision making. HBR, Nov Manage complex
projects Complexity defined as uncertainty
But its complex! Manage complex projects Complexity defined as
uncertainty Management of uncertainty (1) Uncertainty belongs to
the managerial unwanted domain of unknown-unknowns (we just dont
know); a domain beyond risk management, risk you know, because you
log them; dont you? We PMs need to involve top management in the
concept of uncertainty My idea is to add a complexity chapter to
the project brief in which uncertainty is -implicitly- addressed
Manage complex projects Complexity defined as uncertainty
But its complex! Manage complex projects Complexity defined as
uncertainty Management of uncertainty (2): Rules: Short term focus
Iterative E.g. Act, Learn, Build model (Schlesinger, Kiefer, Brown,
HBR 2012) Act: take a small step toward a goal Learn: evaluate the
evidence youve created Build: repeat steps 1 and 2 until you
accomplish goal Use the means at hand Stay within your acceptable
loss or quit Secure only the commitment you need for the next step
Bring along only volunteers Link your move to a business imperative
and produce early results Manage expectations But its complex!
Manage complex projects Self-Organization APMs guilds, squads,
tribes, dailies, matrix add new social complexity Messy problems:
people hold entirely different views on: Whether there is a
problem, And if they agree there is, and; What the problem is. In
that sense messy problems are quite intangible and as a result
various authors (e.g. Checkland) have suggested that there are no
objective problems, only situations defined as problems by people.
Given the increasing complexity of the project teams and their
operating environment more and more decisions of this type arise.
(Richardson, Tait, Roos, Lissack, 2005) But its complex! Manage
complex projects Self-OrganizationLet it flow, but interfere APMs
guilds, squads, tribes, dailies, matrix paradoxically add new
social complexity; My toolkit: (soft) systems theory Learning
Organization wisdom of crowds(diverse team) social network Dialogue
World Caf Roadmaps based on scenarios (planning) Frameworks
Self-Organization Let it flow, but interfere
APMs guilds, squads, tribes, dailies, matrix paradoxically add new
social complexity; my toolkit: (soft) systems theory: bottom-up,
circular, grounded change processes Concept of the Learning
Organization (team learning, personal mastery, focus on mental
models, shared vision (strategy) But its complex! Manage complex
projects Self-OrganizationLet it flow, but interfere
Self-Organization Let it flow, but interfere
APMs guilds, squads, tribes, dailies, matrix paradoxically add new
social complexity; my toolkit: Belief in the wisdom of crowds but
to make that work you need a diverse team: (Surowiecki, 2004)
Diversity of opinion (private info) Independence (own opinion)
Decentralization (specialist, local knowledge) Aggregation (be able
to totalize) And (BB) openness to outside knowledge and innovation;
avoid knowledge to only circling internally But its complex! Manage
complex projects Self-OrganizationLet it flow, but interfere
Self-Organization Let it flow, but interfere
APMs guilds, squads, tribes, dailies, matrix paradoxically add new
social complexity; my toolkit: Study the social network Dialogue
(generously listening to weak signals, background conversations, is
something attracting the project?, significance of the project,
what might others think?, how do we feel?) World Caf approaches
(participative planning) Roadmaps based on scenarios (planning)
functional / flexible Frameworks should not rule; more structure
means less contact with emergence But its complex! Manage complex
projects Self-Organization Let it flow, but interfere But its
complex! Manage complex projects Leadership
Interpreting Ashby's Law: more complexity requires a more varied
control system. The more complex your project, the more project
steering variety you need; certainly in the complex areas of your
project. Outside Inside But its complex! Manage complex projects
Leadership
Not to judgmental to soon You need (an) authentic person (people)
Authentic meaning: Someone who seems vulnerable Is able to share
with his/her team Listens to the team Is willing to change opinion
But still is a decision taker This in -my view- does not align wit
the PM capabilities that we assess today Complxity needs
authenticity In some mysterious way woods have never seemed
to me to be static things. In physical terms, I move through them;
yet in metaphysical ones, they seem to move through me, just as, if
I watch a film John Fowles, The Tree, 1979